If your idea of a healthy dessert is the kind that tastes decadent but offers some health benefits and you're OK with natural sweeteners like maple syrup, then you're going to love food writer and health blogger Liz Moody [1]'s recipes. Author of the gluten-free, dairy-free cookbook Healthier Together [2] and host of the Healthier Together podcast [3], Moody's dessert recipes just look so damn delicious, you can't help but feel inspired to try them. Here are a few that looked especially amazing.
Healthy Brownie Batter Bites
These no-bake brownie batter bites take 10 minutes to whip up and are made with healthy ingredients including almond butter, almond flour, raw cacao powder, and walnuts. "They're rich and chocolatey and studded with walnuts, which totally up that brownie element while adding in tons of omega 3s and anti-inflammatory polyphenols," Moody said.
Get the recipe: brownie batter bites [5]
Oatmeal Cookie Dough Bites
If you love Moody's brownie batter bites, these are just as delicious and full of fibre, Moody said, "to help you poop!" They're made with whole-food ingredients including almond butter, oats, and oat flour. These are sweetened with honey, but you could use maple syrup if you want to make them vegan.
Get the recipe: healthy oatmeal cookie dough bites [6]
Brookie Batter Bites
"Never again will you have to choose between cookie dough and brownie batter," Moody said. This no-bake dessert is made with unsalted cashew or almond butter, almond flour, raw cacao powder, and sweetened with maple syrup.
Get the recipe: healthy brookie batter bites [7]
Peanut Butter Cup Energy Balls
Made with healthy ingredients including unsalted peanut butter, collagen peptides, and raw cacao powder, Moody said they "truly taste like a peanut butter cup, but they're packed with healthy fats and proteins that will fill you up."
Get the recipe: peanut butter cup energy balls [8]
No-Bake Chocolate Candy Bar fudge Cookies
For this five-minute no-bake recipe, Moody said, "these taste like if a square of fudge and a cookie had a baby." Since you make them on the stove, not in the oven, they're really quick, and only require a few simple pantry staple ingredients such as cocoa powder, peanut butter, oats, and chopped walnuts.
Get the recipe: no-bake chocolate candy bar fudge cookies [9]
Birthday Cake Batter Rice Pudding
For this fun flavoured rice pudding recipe, Moody swapped the traditional egg for chia seeds to incorporate one of her favourite gut-friendly foods. If you're vegan, swap in maple syrup for the honey. This has a birthday cake vibe and the sprinkles are naturally coloured!
Get the recipe: birthday cake batter rice pudding [10]
Healthy Cookie Crisp Cereal
Not actually a dessert, but more of a dessert breakfast, this healthy Cookie Crisp cereal is grain-free, vegan, and tastes delicious with plant-based milk poured on top.
Get the recipe: healthy cookie crisp cereal [11]
Healthy Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal
If you're craving a bowl of cereal, cook up some healthy Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Made with ground flaxseeds and almond flour, it has a coconut sugar and cinnamon topping sprinkled on top. This recipe is grain-free and vegan.
Get the recipe: healthy cinnamon toast crunch cereal [12]
